title: Patient preferences for physician gender in the male genital/rectal exam.
abstract: This paper presents the results of a descriptive survey assessing male patients' past experience, current preferences, and concerns regarding the gender of the physician performing the male genital/rectal exam. The sample consists of 72 male patients seen at a university-based family practice clinic located in a small rural community in Michigan. Patient age and physician gender preference were the main independent variables of interest. This study found that 51.5% of all male patients in the sample indicated a preference for a male physician to perform the genital exam while 48.5% indicated no preference for physician gender. In contrast, for the rectal exam, 61.5% of all male patients indicated no preference for physician gender while 38.5% did express a preference for a male physician. No one expressed a preference for a female physician for either the genital or rectal exams. Further analysis revealed that male patients over the age of 40 who prefer a male physician do so, at least in part, because it would be embarrassing to have a female physician perform the exam. Few, however, would refuse to allow a female physician to perform the exam. Respondents preferred certain positions for the exam and these are a means of minimizing potential embarrassment in the older patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Practice, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0708.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Heaton
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Marquez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005837:Genitalia, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000523:psychology*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010822:Physicians, Women; D012007:Rectum; D012723:Sex